As a child, Phyllis Stern was recruited to play the piano to provide music for silent films in the movie theater next to her father’s Minnesota clothing store.

That was 95 years ago.

On Friday, Stern, celebrated her 102nd birthday Friday by pounding a few notes on the baby grand she’s had for more than eight decades.

Born Feb. 15, 1911, in tiny Eveleth, Minn., Stern moved to Norwich just after the end of World War II, She recalled the harsh Midwest winters when families would keep cars in their garages and rely on the upstart Greyhound bus line — founded in nearby Hibbing in 1914 — for transportation.

Her brothers would send their laundry to her via the bus from Minneapolis. She’d iron it and send it back on the next route.

Stern, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin, made a name for herself as a substitute teacher among a group of hard-to-handle boys in Montville, impressing them with her aptitude for chess.

“That saved my life. Those boys never met a lady who could play, and after that I could do whatever I wanted with them,” Stern said.

A lifelong member of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Stern said she’s grateful to have witnessed the establishment of a permanent Jewish state in Israel.

She’ll be honored this afternoon during a ceremony at Beth Jacob Synagogue, where she remains active in services.